The invention primarily concerns a facility for storing and cooling a liquefied gas, for example a liquefied natural gas, the facility comprising at least one tank configured to contain the liquefied gas, a closed cooling circuit configured to be supplied with liquefied gas in the liquid state coming from the tank, at least one injection member configured for reinjecting cooled liquefied gas into the tank, the facility being characterized in that it comprises at least one connection line configured to recover a cooled gas from at least one remote container that is separate and independent from the facility.

Embodiments of systems and methods for transporting fuel and carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) in a dual-fluid vessel thereby minimizing transportation between locations are disclosed. In an embodiment, the dual-fluid vessel has an outer shell with two or more inner compartments, positioned within the outer shell, including a first inner compartment for storing CO.sub.2 and a second inner compartment for storing fuel. The dual-fluid vessel may connect or attach to a transportation vehicle to thereby allow transportation of the fuel and CO.sub.2. Insulation may provide temperature regulation for the fuel and CO.sub.2 when positioned in the respective first and second inner compartments. One or more ports having an opening in and through the outer shell and a fluid pathway to one or more of the first inner compartment or the second inner compartment may provide fluid communication through the opening and fluid pathway for loading/offloading the fuel and/or CO.sub.2.

The invention relates to a method for refuelling a vehicle (60) or an autonomous vehicle (60). At least one hydrogen tank (10) accommodating gaseous hydrogen is fitted in the vehicle (60). The method comprises the following method steps: The vehicle (60) drives into a refuelling area (24). A refuelling operation (28; 78, 80, 82) is performed on the vehicle (60). Then, the temperature of the contents of the at least hydrogen tank (10) is checked (30). If a temperature (74) of the tank contents of the at least one hydrogen tank (10) exceeds a temperature limit value (32), the vehicle (60) is transferred to a cooling down area (36). There, the tank temperature (44) is checked a second time following a cooling down phase. The tank pressure is checked (48) if the tank temperature (74) lies below a temperature limit value. If the tank pressure (76) in the at least one hydrogen tank (10) is below a tank pressure limit value, the vehicle (60) is transferred to the refuelling area (24) to continue refuelling; if the tank pressure (76) is in the tank pressure limit range, refuelling is halted (52).

A low-temperature storage device includes an inner vessel, an outer vessel about the inner vessel, a thermal insulation layer between the inner vessel and the outer vessel, and a single heat exchanger in thermal communication with an interior of the inner vessel and adapted to be connected to at least one of an evaporator in a closed-loop refrigeration circuit and an open-loop evaporator for an externally-supplied cryogen. The inner vessel can be a vacuum-insulated vessel, and the heat exchanger can be an internal heat exchanger including at least two fluid circuits: a first circuit with one external connection and one internal connection into the inner vessel and the second circuit with two external connections.

Heat is transferred from a flow of liquid hydrogen to a flow of a heat transfer fluid at a first heat exchanger to produce a warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and a cooled flow of heat transfer fluid. Heat is also transferred at a second heat exchanger, to the cooled flow of heat transfer fluid, from a flow of pressurized hydrogen that is derived from one or more buffer vessels filled by the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen and/or the warmed flow of pressurized hydrogen from the first exchanger to produce a cooled flow of pressurized hydrogen that is used to fill tanks of fuel cell electric vehicles.

A device and process for refuelling containers comprising a pressurized gas source, a transfer circuit intended to be removably connected to a container, the device comprising a refrigeration system comprising a refrigerant cooling loop circuit comprising, arranged in series, a compressor, a condenser section, an expansion valve and an evaporator section, the refrigeration system comprising a cold source in heat exchange with the condenser section and a heat exchanger located in the transfer circuit, the refrigerant cooling loop circuit comprising a bypass conduit comprising an upstream end connected to the outlet of the compressor and a downstream end connected to the refrigerant cooling loop circuit upstream the compressor inlet, the device further comprising a bypass regulating valve for controlling the flow of refrigerant flowing into the by-pass conduit, the device comprising a pressure sensor for sensing the refrigerant pressure in the cooling loop circuit between the compressor inlet and the heat exchanger outlet, notably at the inlet of the compressor, the device comprising an electronic controller configured for regulating the suction pressure at the inlet of the compressor via the control of the compressor speed and the opening of the bypass valve.

A method and a precooling system are provided for precooling gaseous fuel supplied for fueling pressurized gaseous vehicle onboard storage tank systems. The precooling system is used in pressurized gaseous fueling stations with source fuels in cryogenic state, such as liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquefied nature gas (LNG). A thermal buffer heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger medium, and a cold loop and a warm loop contained in the heat exchanger medium. A control unit is configured for controlling cryogenic fuel supplied to the cold loop for cooling the thermal buffer heat exchanger. The thermal buffer heat exchanger enables precooling high pressure gaseous fuel to a preset temperature supplied to a dispenser supplying high pressure gaseous fuel to refuel a vehicle onboard storage tank system.

A flow control panel configured to control the flow of fuel from a storage bank to a dispense includes a cold fuel controller, a dispenser port, and a processor. The cold fuel controller is configured to control the flow of cold fuel from a cold fuel line. The dispenser port is in fluid communication with the cold fuel controller. The processor is configured to receive an indication of fuel temperature within a dispenser and activate the cold fuel controller to allow the cold fuel from the cold fuel line to flow to the dispenser port when the indication of fuel temperature within the dispenser exceeds a maximum temperature determined by the dispenser.

A device and process for refuelling containers comprising a pressurized gas source, a transfer circuit intended to be removably connected to a container, the device comprising a refrigeration system comprising a refrigerant cooling loop circuit comprising, arranged in series, a compressor, a condenser section, an expansion valve and an evaporator section, the refrigeration system comprising a cold source in heat exchange with the condenser section and a heat exchanger located in the transfer circuit, the refrigerant cooling loop circuit comprising a bypass conduit comprising an upstream end connected to the outlet of the compressor and a downstream end connected to the refrigerant cooling loop circuit upstream the compressor inlet, the device further comprising a bypass regulating valve for controlling the flow of refrigerant flowing into the by-pass conduit, the device comprising a pressure sensor for sensing the refrigerant pressure in the cooling loop circuit between the compressor inlet and the heat exchanger outlet, notably at the inlet of the compressor, the device comprising an electronic controller configured for regulating the suction pressure at the inlet of the compressor via the control of the compressor speed and the opening of the bypass valve.

A device for refuelling containers with pressurized gas, comprising a pressurized gas source, a transfer circuit intended to be removably connected to a container, the device comprising a refrigeration system for cooling the gas flowing from the gas source prior to its entering into the container, the refrigeration system comprising a refrigerant cooling loop circuit comprising, arranged in series, a compressor, a condenser section, an expansion valve and an evaporator section, the refrigeration system comprising a cold source in heat exchange with the condenser section and a heat exchanger located in the transfer circuit, the device comprising an electronic controller connected to the expansion valve and configured for controlling cooling power produced by the refrigeration system via the control of the opening of the expansion valve, the device comprising a differential temperature sensor system measuring the difference between the temperature of the refrigerant in the refrigerant cooling loop circuit at the outlet of the heat exchanger and the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling loop circuit at the inlet of the heat exchanger, the electronic controller being configured for controlling the cooling power produced as a function of this temperature differential.